Energy. Rhythm. Unity. These are some of the traits which inspired MCI composer Quinn Mason to create "Faster", a new work for wind ensemble that will be featured at the Midwest Clinic's New Music Concert Band Reading Session next week. Read on to learn more about Mason's experiences with creating this new composition:

The Millennium Composers Initiative will be exhibiting the music of seven of its composers at The Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference this year in Chicago, Illinois. In addition, MCI composers Chris Evan Hass and Quinn Mason will have their music featured in the conference's New Music Concert Band (and Orchestra) Reading Sessions, while Harrison J. Collins's piece "O rose of May" will receive its world premiere during a concert given by the Stoneman Douglas High School Wind Symphony.

MCI will be exhibiting at Booth #1927 for the duration of this year's Midwest Clinic. The composers represented will include Josh Trentadue, Duncan Petersen-Jones, Harrison J. Collins, Quinn Mason, Chris Evan Hass, Kevin Day, and Casey Thomas. Be on the lookout for more information within the coming weeks!!

Our final Composer Spotlight features MCI composer Duncan Petersen-Jones's Bac'd​, a new work for saxophone quartet exploring the intricacies of an inherently musical idea. The composer writes:

"Bac'd started off as an experiment, to see what I could do with only 4 notes. After starting with this, I continued to write it out until I felt the piece was fully written. With having only a limited number of pitches, I had to rely on rhythm, motives, and the interactions between the pitches to add variety. It was definitely a challenge to keep the piece interesting with these limitations, but I felt that I overcame this through having different implied pitch centers and through the interactions between the quartet. Throughout composing this piece, I was very tempted to include additional pitches, but ultimately forced myself to only use these four, which is something that I'm glad I did in the end."

Bac'd received its world premiere this year at the University of Michigan. It will be performed at our collaborative concert with the Zenith Saxophone Quartet this Sunday, October 14th at Central Michigan University, which will also include several world premieres composed by MCI members.
RSVP today to this special event!

Our collaborative concert in October with the Zenith Saxophone Quartet opens with a premiere by MCI composer Kevin Day entitled Converging Spectrums, a multi-movement work whose first movement will be performed. This piece is an exploration of various different concepts that the composer elaborates in greater detail below:

The program for our collaborative concert this October with the Zenith Saxophone Quartet includes a piece that introduces another element to the stage - performers interacting with electronic music. Composer Josh Trentadue's Bread and Circuses incorporates a fixed media track that accompanies the quartet, creating a soundscape that's altogether unique to each  performance. Read on as Trentadue divulges more about how these elements, and many others, helped shape this brand-new piece:

Often, we find that our influences and personal experiences help to define how we individually perceive and experience listening to music. Such is the case with composer Casey Thomas's Missoula, his new work for the Zenith Saxophone Quartet premiering this October on our first collaborative concert of the year. Thomas's quartet is an exploration of his personal experiences attending the funeral of composer David Maslanka in 2017. Read on to learn more about Thomas's new work for saxophone quartet:

Of all the pieces included in our collaborative concert with the Zenith Saxophone Quartet this October, this one is perhaps the most improvisational of the program to be premiered. Composer Jordan VanHemert's background as a jazz musician is at full force with his new work Into the Darkness, testing the limitations and creative freedom of both the saxophone quartet and the music they are given. Read on to discover VanHemert's conceptualization of this exciting new work:

This academic year, the Millennium Composers Initiative will be co-hosting two collaborative concerts with two different chamber groups. The members of the initiative are given the opportunity to compose a brand-new work for the performers and participate in rehearsals leading up to the concert performance.

The first concert of the year consists of entirely new music performed by the much-lauded Zenith Saxophone Quartet, including multiple world premieres of music by MCI composers. The event will take place on Sunday, October 14th at Chamichian Recital Hall in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The concert is generously co-hosted by the Zenith Saxophone Quartet and the Central Michigan University School of Music.

Starting this week, we will be introducing the music that will be featured on the program, including some insight by our composers as to how each of the pieces came to be. First up is Burning Away by Isaac Mayhew, a brand-new piece for saxophone quartet that is as personal as it is emotional.